Preparing for winter IV

moments_of_sanity

Blind trimmed and put up in the downstairs toilet so both blinds now fitted in the coldest parts of the house :j

We have had non stop rain here all day and the cats are refusing to go out in it at all, they are both laying comfortably on my sewing pile! :mad:

I need to call the window people out as eldest DD's bedroom window seems to have dropped over the summer, probably because she loves fresh air and has it open all of the time, call out fee is £85 so not going to be a cheap fix me thinks!

Going to get the girls king size throws out and wash them this week so that they can be folded and left at the end of their beds ready for those chilly nights that are on there way.

bubblegumcola

I'm crocheting blankets for winter. So far I'm halfway doing one for me and a third of the way doing one for my youngest as he really wanted one. Just doing a fairly easy granny stripe pattern so once you've done a couple of rows you don't really have to think while you're doing it!

I bought one of those wee shopping trolleys for going up and down to the local shop if it's bad weather. It's only a ten minute walk but if I'm thinking it'll be useful it's the weather gets really bad and I can't get out to do a big supermarket shop in the car. It'll be much easier for getting heavy stuff like milk home. My kids hate me using it but makes life much easier. There's always the kids sledge I can use if it's heavy snow for dragging shopping home, have seen plenty of people using theirs before.

I'd love a chest freezer for our garage but I would need to gut the garage first. I usually make sure I have at least a loaf in the freezer in the house, plenty loo roll, various tins, tinned cold meat, long life milk when the weather takes a turn for the worse.

We must be due a horrible winter, since I bought a snow shovel it's not been that bad and I've barely used it!! Forgot I've bought a door curtain for the front door in a summer sale, so much cheaper than it should have been so will need to get that up as it should make a difference but I need to get something for my patio doors as we just have an old blind up and it gets really cold in our living room in winter. Any suggestions for cheap warm curtains for standard sized patio doors? I have a sewing machine but very much a novice and nervous using it.

aggypanthus

I had to wear a hat today:( it was a cold wind which makes my ears hurt, as I was doing gardening.
A Fleece hat in August! I hope no one saw me.:D

I n the Times supp, an article said that using foil boards behind radiators saves only £8 a yr so not really worth it?
They recommended a radiator booster,white tube thing over the rads which use a fan to spread the heat up from behind, saving £150 a yr, cost £ 25 each.

BritishBibliophile

Got quite a lot of odd looks from people on the London Underground as I dared to go in to Richmond wearing my wellies (and a pair of shorts, it might be the combination they were confused by) since it was raining heavily.

I even splashed in some large puddles and my feet were dry as a bone throughout! The boots fit fine but are rather tight near the knee thanks to my less-slim calves, but I figure if I wear them often enough they'll stretch a little a bit, and they're still pretty comfy.

New duvet smells a bit so I'm airing it out, turns out that it's a common problem with duck-feather ones, if I'd known that then I might have opted for a wool one instead but never mind. Google seems to suggest the smell will wear off, Mum's suggested I get some Febreeze as well so that's something to try as well. I just wanted to stay warm as the flat doesn't have central heating as the gas heater I have in my room takes a long time to warm anything up.

This week I need to sort out taking my coats to the dry cleaners.

greenbee

bubblegumcola wrote: »

I need to get something for my patio doors as we just have an old blind up and it gets really cold in our living room in winter. Any suggestions for cheap warm curtains for standard sized patio doors? I have a sewing machine but very much a novice and nervous using it.

I bought lengths of cream fleece a couple of years ago - I got them the same length as the doors. If they're not wide enough you could either have multiple curtains, or pin/tack two together for each door. I sewed plastic curtain rings along the top and strung the fleece onto curtain wire.

timehastoldme

greenbee wrote: »

I bought lengths of cream fleece a couple of years ago - I got them the same length as the doors. If they're not wide enough you could either have multiple curtains, or pin/tack two together for each door. I sewed plastic curtain rings along the top and strung the fleece onto curtain wire.

I've done similar with big cotton throws and those hooks with bulldog clips on, these ikea ones are close to that, sewing them on is probably much sturdier though!

greenbee

timehastoldme wrote: »

I've done similar with big cotton throws and those hooks with bulldog clips on, these ikea ones are close to that, sewing them on is probably much sturdier though!

I think Memory Girl had something on her blog about using fleece with plastic shower-curtain hooks (the ones you just press through). I guess you can just poke a hold in the fleece seeing as it won't fray!

pm2326

aggypanthus wrote: »

PM 2326

The only solution to the fluffy dressing gown is lots of washes. I had mine for 20yrs!

£15 is fine for a door curtain, got the link? I can see if its any good.PS I make my own.

Evening

I had a feeling that would be the answer aggypanthus but I was living in hope lol

This is the curtains I was looking at, still not sure though so would appreciate your thoughts

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/230549233597?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2648&var=530017728917&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT


I went bargain hunting today and while I didn't find anything in the charity shops I called into Primark and discovered they have their fleece pj's in already :T

I ended up with 3 new sets, all £7 each and a fleece dressing gown for £10. I already have a dressing gown but its really thick so need something for that period of time between chilly and bloomin freezing!

Also managed to get an oversized cardigan reduced from £10 to £5 which I can wear round the house during the day.

Typically by the time I got home with my winter goodies it was blazing sunshine and I was sweating buckets :rotfl: so the broth I put in the slow cooker first thing this morning (when it was chilly & cloudy) is going in the freezer once its cooled!

So next I'm going to look for the best deal on tea lights....thanks to MrsLurcherwalker for relaying my fears! Thinking I can use them instead of putting on the light every night...didn't put light on until 10pm last night as was on pc and just used that light until switched it off.

[Deleted User]

If you can get to an IKEA they do 100 tealights for £2 and that's the cheapest good quality deal I know of.

FairyPrincessk

If you can sew a straight seam you can make any sort of curtain. Shower curtain hooks in fleece blankets are an excellent no-sew alternative. If you have the sort of pole that uses curtain hooks, then get some curtain header tape--two straight seams to attach it to the back of a sheet, blanket or hemmed fabric and voila, curtains!

My next project is a curtain for the dining room made out of an old fashioned wool blanket--the sort that is cream with pastel stripes on the top and bottom edges. It will look unique and the sort of old fashioned I like. It will be heavy and keep drafts at bay, and it was cheaper than buying fabric. It is a mixture of inspiration from cheap ikea fleeces (not big enough for this window) and one of my war-time inspirations wear a reader wrote in asking for advice on how to turn army blankets into curtains.

I'm knitting us wooly socks--halfway through the second pair, but one minor alteration to go back and do to the first.

Most of the winter woolens have been washed, a few left that OH left at school :mad: and a few scarves of mine left to do. This week's extra wash project is dressing gowns.

I've even knitted the kitten a cardigan. Not that she appreciates the gesture. :rotfl:

Off Lyn's constant inspiration, I've ordered M. Patten's We'll eat again and Post War kitchen. I've been making one recipe a week from them (for two weeks but still!) Tonight was a parsnip soup, although I did cheat by seasoning it with a blend of curry spices and using an onion rather than a leek because it was what I had. I also added garlic--but the principal is the same, use what I have to make the best I can. Hopefully this will keep the warm meals cheerful even in the darker months.

I'm currently making a list of winter projects--one of which is to copy all of my recipes written on scraps of envelop into a notebook. And, of course, continue learning to knit.